AMISH COUNTRY

LANCASTER, PENNSYLVANIA

JUNE 24-25, 2008

In the evening of the 24 after dinner, all 8 of us (4 adults, 4 kids) piled into Jeff and Laura's big

Aspen and went out to scout some nearby Amish farms. There's a bit of a glare as I took these out

the side window of the car, but you can see how clean and utterly neat the Amish farms here are.

This sign just tickled me no end. We actually stopped and went inside.

The morning of the 25th, we all went to the Amish Village, which was an actual Amish farm back in the

early 1800's, but has become now a place where tourists can go. These two hats were in an upstairs

bedroom window. The one of the left, with no indentation around the crown, indicates the man who wears

it is married. The one on the right is the hat worn by an unmarried man.

A gas-powered iron

A washer powered by a lawn mower motor. The Amish feel that electric lines connect them to the

outside world, so find all sorts of alternate means of power.

A classic wood stove

bedroom

Kimberly and Joey in a parked Amish cart

We walked around the grounds, looking at the various animals. I liked this little guy.

schoolroom

In the evening, Carl and I went out for a drive by ourselves and found a place that offered rides. This is

the wagon we rode in. Just Carl and I were in the back and Hans, our Amish driver, in the front.

Taffy, who pulled our wagon.

Looking out past Hans and Taffy as we head down a more populated road before turning

right and going out into the country.

Looking out the rear of the wagon as we get more rural.

An Amish school still in use.

Hans kindly stopped and let me photograph a small area of poppies that caught my eye.

This is where we got the ride. The wagon is just beyond the branches of the tree on the right.

Ivan, who sells the tickets, is the boy in the booth on the left. We looked around some at the

animals there, too.

Then Carl and I headed a short distance east to, um, Intercourse. You can't visit

Lancaster and not go to Intercourse.

Arriving at the little town of Intercourse. Note sign.

Leaving Intercourse, we headed south into the country again...

Typical view through the windshield

Approaching a covered bridge. Note trumpet vines over rock wall on right.

Same trumpet vine...taken out my window

Heading west toward Pittsburgh the morning of the 26th, we drove the PA Turnpike.

I do like this section just west of Harrisburg because I set an epi story atop this long

ridge back a few years ago...A New Jeopardy. It was one of my funny ones and my

cast of all Russ' characters were in full costume...Napoleonic sea captain, modern camo,

western preacher, Roman General, that sorta thing...and they came down the slope into

the pasture land and scared the Amish so that they were driven out with pitchforks, etc.

I remember one of my guys remarking, "Who knew the Amish were such a warlike people?"

"More of 'my' ridge. I find when I write something, it becomes like an actual memory for me...

what they did...and so I have memories of walking along atop this ridge, though I never really have.

And my dear Blue Mountain tunnel, which I turned into a railway tunnel, inside of which poor

Cort had his unfortunate encounter with the giant bats. Sigh. As we drove through it going home,

they had the right-hand tunnel closed so all the Turnpike traffic was going through the left one.

I rather like this. It looks kinda like modern art. Was taken inside the Blue Mtn. tunnel out the

windshield.

At the end of the B. M. tunnel, there is only a small space before you go right into another

tunnel.

Like this...

I'm used to the Turnpike and always look for particular things, like this nicely

pointed little mountain. It's one of my 'markers' on the route.

And the Turnpike just curves right around the base of it...so you can't miss it.

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